Communiqué
Michael Orsborn Estrabillo’s public television career started at WOUB
< < Back toEstrabillo graduated from Ohio University in 2009
ATHENS, OH – The road to becoming a staff videographer at Maryland Public Television (MPT) was a winding one, but Michael Orsborn Estrabillo says each piece of his journey was critical – especially his time at WOUB Public Media.
“WOUB was where I got my start,” said Orsborn Estrabillo. “I picked up a camera at WOUB and I’ve never looked back.”
Orsborn Estrabillo grew up in nearby Newark, Ohio. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with his life and started taking classes at the Ohio University regional campus in Zanesville. He eventually started taking classes in the electronic media program.
“I got involved in the Electronic Media Club in Zanesville and went to a technology conference in Las Vegas in 2007,” said Orsborn Estrabillo. “When I saw all the cameras and equipment, I realized I wanted to work in television.”
After Orsborn Estrabillo graduated with his associate’s degree in electronic media, he decided to come to Athens to pursue a bachelor’s degree.
“Pretty early on during my time in Athens I walked into WOUB and said something like ‘Hey, Can I shoot video?’ And the professional staff members welcomed me with open arms.”
Orsborn Estrabillo worked in the WOUB newsroom, as well as on several studio productions. He graduated with a degree in video production in 2009.
“Working at WOUB and getting my hands on equipment gaining real-world experience helped set me apart from a lot of other college kids that were coming out of other programs. It really worked for me getting that leg up.”
Orsborn Estrabillo got his first job in Greenville/New Bern, North Carolina at WCTI TV. After two years, he accepted a videographer position at WTKR in Norfolk, Virginia and then a couple years after that he moved on to WBFF in Baltimore, Maryland.
“After being in Baltimore for nearly a year, an opportunity became available at the public television station in Baltimore, and I jumped at it,” said Orsborn Estrabillo. “After my time at WOUB, I always believed in public television and it was great to get back into it. All the stuff I did in college came back. It was advantageous for me to have had that experience from the WOUB studios.”
Orsborn Estrabillo has worked at MPT for seven years and loves what he’s doing. He credits his success to his time in Athens at WOUB.
“I spent two years in Athens and pretty much lived in the Radio and Television Building at WOUB,” said Orsborn Estrabillo. “WOUB is very much my TV home. It’s near and dear to me.”